Initial D: Shuffle Stage
by The Fire-Emblem Lover
Summary: Kyoichi Sudo had come out to Kōyō-chō because he thought Project D was there. Takeshi Nakazato, on the other hand, had come to take his revenge on the Emperors. And how does Rin Tsuchimi fit into this? T for some swearing.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, here is my first foray into Fan fiction. Hope someone out there likes it. **

The weather was often fickle in Kōyō-chō, and Kyoichi Sudo knew this to be true. The rains were rather hard, and the sun was rather hot. Not an unpleasant place to live, but Kyoichi would take the sweet slopes of Irohazaka he called home any day over this quaint, little place. Seeing as rumors placed Project D out here, however, Kyoichi Sudo had rounded up his Street Racer Team, "The Emperors," and had set out to find glory on the mountain roads of Kōyō-chō.

However, the legendary racing team Project D was nowhere in sight, and Kyoichi had been mulling over this fact one humid night at a rest area. After his defeats via Project D's downhill specialist, Takumi Fujiwara, and their leader, Ryosuke Takahashi, Kyoichi had thrown all of his spare time into perfecting his technique. His Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III was certainly a better car than the Takumi's Toyota Trueno or Ryosuke's Mazda RX-7 FC. His four-wheel drive ensured that he could take a corner faster than either of them, his turbo-charged engine pumped out nearly 400 horsepower, which he knew for a fact that neither Takumi nor Ryosuke had, and his misfire system made his turbo run smoother than a newborn's backside. What must have been lacking was his technique, which Kyoichi had trained extensively on. He now felt confident he could take on Project D, but he had felt this way before and still lost, so a little anxiety on his part was warranted.

But after a week in this idyllic town, Kyoichi was considering packing up: there had been no sighting of Project D, and the few racers that did show up, were summarily trounced by his second-in-command, Seiji Iwaki, a driver of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV. A good driver in his own right, Seiji was generally dependable, but he would never reach the skill the Kyoichi possessed. And tonight, Seiji was busy: some punk driving a black Nissan Skyline GT-R had shown up. The odd thing about this challenger was that instead of challenging Kyoichi, the leader, to a race, he had challenged Seiji instead. It wouldn't matter, though: Seiji would wipe the floor with this punk, and Kyoichi would retire for the night, and go home disappointed tomorrow.

About 15 minutes later, when Seiji had returened, however, he was following the GT-R, which could only mean one thing: Seiji had lost.

"_That driver was able to defeat Seiji? Maybe I didn't come all the way out here for nothing"_ Kyoichi mulled to himself, as he watched Seiji exit his car, a furious and shamed expression on his face.

"You were beaten." It was more a statement then a question, but it heightened Seiji's shame even more. As he was about to retort, however, the door to the GT-R opened, and out steeped a man of about twenty, wearing a dark polo shirt and jeans. This sight was enough to make Seiji go slack jawed.

"You! How did YOU beat me!" Seiji roared at the man, who more or less ignored him. Not a fan of being ignored, Seiji was about to explode on the man when a pointed look from Kyoichi shut him up.

"Takeshi Nakazato… A surprise to see you around these parts. I would have thought you had given up racing, what with your level of skill being where it is." Kyoichi addressed the GT-R driver, smirking cockily: the last time he had seen Takeshi Nakazato race, Takeshi had crashed into the side of the mountain before the race had gotten to the half-way point, a rather pathetic showing.

Takeshi bristled with anger, and it showed in his reply. "I just utterly trashed Seiji, so now I'm hunting bigger and better prey: You, Kyoichi Sudo."

Seiji had again been about to run his mouth to Nakazato, when another look from Kyoichi drained all the fight from him.

"First things first though…" Takeshi said, turning around to address Seiji for the first time since he driven up the mountain and challenged him.

Seiji, understanding what Takeshi wanted, sighed, and removed the "Night Kids" decals on his car. They had originally belonged to Takeshi, but Seiji had beaten him, and seized them as a way of making Takeshi feel lower than he already did.

Reapplying the decal to its rightful place on the GT-R, Takeshi admired it, before turning to Kyoichi, a determined look on his face.

Kyoichi knew what Takeshi wanted, and without a further word, retreated to his black Lancer Evolution, powering up the monstrous vehicle.

Takeshi likewise entered his vehicle, and both the GT-R and the Lancer Evolution pulled alongside each other before coming to a dead stop.

Seiji walked between the two cars, his thoughts in a whirlwind: he knew Kyoichi was a damn good driver, but Takeshi's recent emergence had thrown his beliefs out the window. He honestly didn't know if Kyoichi could win.

Seiji pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind, and started the countdown. Unnoticed to the three, however, was a white Mazda RX-7 FC near the back of the rest stop that had pulled in sometime after Takeshi and Seiji had pulled up. The driver, an aspiring doctor, was also awaiting the countdown.

Right as Seiji's hand flew down, accompanied by the yell of "GO!" Takeshi and Kyoichi both hammered the accelerators, the tires from each car screeching like banshees as they tried to cope with the demands for power.

As Kyoichi and Takeshi roared away from the starting line, the man in the RX-7 waited. And five seconds after the two sped away from the starting line, the RX-7 roared to life, its rotary engine surprising Seiji, who had not seen it.

As the cars disappeared from his sight, Seiji noticed something particularly dangerous about the RX-7: It was driving without any headlights!

"Is that idiot trying to kill himself!" Seiji roared in amazement, observing as brake lights from the RX-7 disappeared from sight as it snaked around the first turn.

The four red lights of GT-R light up like fireworks as Takeshi worked the brake in anticipation of the corner ahead. The Lancer Evolution behind did likewise and both cars went around the corner at around 60 m.p.h. The RX-7 followed behind, only three seconds behind now, headlights still off.

As he was accelerated to meet the GT-R ahead of him, Kyoichi marveled at the jump of skill between the Takeshi of before and the Takeshi of today. Before, it was incredibly likely that Takeshi would have cracked under the pressure, and spun out.

Now, though, Takeshi was taking corners with incredible grace. He wasn't skidding like the heavy GT-R was prone to doing.

"He must have put that thing on a massive diet…" Kyoichi mumbled to himself as he kept his Lancer Evolution in line behind the GT-R. Faintly, he thought he heard a third engine behind him, and checked his rear-view mirror for a split second. Nothing.

Feeling foolish, Kyoichi continued on, knowing that the prime point to pass Takeshi would be coming up soon.

"Ah man… did Kaede really need groceries at this time of night?" a young lad wondered aloud as he walked home down one of the steepest mountains in Kōyō-chō.

This man's name was Rin Tsuchimi, and he had returned from getting groceries on the other side of town, as Kaede Fuyou, the girl he was currently living with, had run short of materials to cook with. Rin, being the upstanding person he was, had gone to retrieve said groceries.

"Gah… It's really cold out tonight…" Rin mumbled to himself as he pulled his shirt tighter around himself. "Thank god this road is almost always abandoned at this time of night…"

As soon as he had said this, he heard the roar of three car engines, and quickly turned around to see the blinding headlights of a GT-R.

Takeshi kept mostly silent as he exited another corner at breakneck speed, hit the gas pedal, and rocketed forward, the Lancer Evolution hot on his tail.

"_He's going to try to pass me up here on this wide sweeping turn…"_ Takeshi thought to himself as he started to brake for said sweeping turn, cranking the steering wheel to the right. He knew Team Emperor's style, of not being overly aggressive, and pinpointing the perfect area to pass.

Takeshi also knew that the Lancer Evolution behind him would be able to take turn a bit faster then him, due to that damn misfire system.

"Let's see how he likes this!" Takeshi roared as he braked hard, the tires of the GT-R screeching as he slowed down, and took the inside route of the turn.

"Not going to make this easy for me, are you…" Kyoichi observed as the GT-R moved to the inside lane.

"Whatever. I'll pass on the outside then!" Kyoichi yelled as he braked hard, and then pumped the gas, bringing his car to around 70 M.P.H., moving to the outside.

What neither of these street racers had expected, though, was one Rin Tsuchimi walking down the mountain with a bag of groceries, and a wide eyed look of terror.

Time seemed to slow down for Takeshi as he saw a boy illuminated in the high beams of his GT-R. Eyes widening, Takeshi knew that on his current trajectory, he would soon splatter the boy onto the pavement.

Fortunately for Rin, Takeshi knew exactly what to do. With a cry of "URYAHH!" Takeshi downshifted, and then floored the gas pedal, smirking as the rear of his GT-R started to slide toward the guardrail, the tires unable to cope with the Takeshi's demand for power. The effectively both blocking Kyoichi from passing, and saving Rin's life at the same time. And with some subtle manipulation of both the steering wheel and the pedals, Takeshi maintained his 63m.p.h slide.

"Goddamnit!" Kyoichi yelled as the rear of the GT-R slid toward the outside bumper. Was Takeshi drifting, or was he spinning out? From what he knew, Takeshi's nerves were easier to rattle than a maraca. Could he have cracked under the pressure?

Kyoichi also considered where they were in the course, and realized that there were only three hairpin turns left after this sweeping curve. If this was indeed a drift, then Takeshi could simply block him on the hairpins, and ride the final straight to victory.

"Shit!" Kyoichi spouted as he pulled into a drift as well, pulling right alongside Takeshi. The only chance he had know was to floor it out of the drift, and hope his Lancer Evolution could overtake the GT-R.

Unfortunately for Takeshi, Kyoichi's misfire system in his Lancer Evolution allowed the Turbo to kick in a bit sooner than Takeshi's twin turbo GT-R.

Takeshi grit his teeth as he watched the Lancer Evolution take half-a-car's lead on his left side. Knowing that Kyoichi could pull off a drift to block him from taking the fastest line through the hairpin turns, Takeshi could place his hope on only one move.

The RX-7 speed out of the sweeping curve about two and a half seconds after the duo, watching silently from his race harness as the Lancer Evolution took a slight lead on the outside.

"What will you do now, Takeshi Nakazato…" the man wondered aloud to himself as he watched the Lancer Evolution block the GT-R with an incredible drift, shooting straight though the right turn. His eyes shot open, however, when he realized that the GT-R had seemingly taken the turn inhumanly sharply without a drift of some sort, and pulled ahead of the Lancer Evolution out of the turn.

"How did he-"the man's amazed wonderings were cut short as he rounded the turn, looking on the inside of the turn for some sort of clue. Indeed, he found a rain gutter, and came to the conclusion that the GT-R had dipped its wheels into the gutter, as a sort of turning aid.

"Although not as well done as our friend Fujiwara, you pulled off a gutter run… simply outstanding Takeshi." The man said as he exited the last of the three hairpin turns, a smile on his face.

As the GT-R pulled ahead of the Lance Evolution, Kyoichi was at a loss for words. He had no idea what the other man had done, but he had taken the corner at a faster speed than him, and had emerged as the leader.

Blocked by a drift on the second hairpin, Kyoichi could only pull alongside the GT-R as they entered the third hairpin, where Takeshi took the turn sharper than humanly possible.

Kyoichi looked somberly out of his windshield as the GT-R pulled of his Lancer Evolution out of the turn, and passed by the first set of houses, marking the end of the race. Kyoichi had lost.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Second Chapter, in which the mystery man is revealed, and Shuffle plays a bigger role.**

Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Takeshi gently removed his foot from the pedal of GT-R, and unclenched his hands on the steering wheel a bit.

Takeshi thought back, and realized that this was the first time in a while that he had won a race. After losing to that damnable Toyota Trueno, he had continued on losing, being defeated by yellow Mazda RX-7 FD of Project D, belonging to one Keisuke Takahashi, and to Seiji Iwaki as well…

Just the thought of that man made Takeshi grit his teeth to the grinding point.

"Oh well, no use thinking about it now…" Takeshi gently chided himself as he pulled into the nearby convenience store parking lot, Kyoichi's Lancer Evolution following gently behind him. After putting on his leather jacket, Takeshi turned to find Kyoichi already parked and leaning against his Lancer Evolution, a question burning on his lips.

"How the hell did you make that last turn?" Kyoichi asked, his face betraying nothing.

"I took a page from our friend Takumi Fujiwara." Takeshi replied, noting the way Kyoichi's ears perked up when he heard that name.

Seeing he had his audience enthralled, Takeshi continued on by saying: "I hooked my inside tires into the rain gutter in order to give me better traction."

Kyoichi's eye's opened sharply, before returning to their normal glare, another question on his mind.

"And where did you learn to be so good, if you don't mind me asking. The last time I saw you race, you didn't exactly inspire confidence." Kyoichi continued on, noting the way that Takeshi's right eye twitched before his reply.

"I was feed up with losing, so I went out and sought Godfoot, of Ibaraki. He helped me out with… a few things."

Kyoichi raised his eyebrow, before snorting amusedly. "The way you drove tonight, I wager a guess that he helped you with more than just a few things. But it's not my place to delve any deeper. The Emperor's are pulling out." Kyoichi said as he got back into his Lancer Evolution, and was halfway to the exit before stopping and rolling down his window.

"That was a hell of a race. Come up to Irohazaka sometime if you ever want to challenge me again." Kyoichi said with a small smile playing on his lips. With that, Kyoichi rolled up window, exited the parking lot, and continued his long trek back home to Irohazaka.

Staring at the retreating Lancer Evolution, Takeshi's thoughts were interrupted by a growl of his stomach. Digging for his wallet, he counted the bills needed to buy a small refreshment before he headed out back home. His vacation was nearly up anyways, and he had already checked out of his hotel room that his parents had given him for his birthday, so he was planning on making the journey home tonight, when the traffic was thin.

Takeshi's warm thoughts of home were interrupted by the whir of a rotary engine. Looking up, Takeshi noted a white Mazda RX-7 FC pulling into the square next to his GT-R. He wouldn't forget the site of that car anywhere. And, his suspicions proving true, a well dressed man in twenties exited the car.

"Ryosuke Takahashi. What are you doing here?" Takeshi said, eyeing the man up.

"I'm on vacation. I convinced my parents to take over my hospital duties, and I've set up Project D to battle only a couple of easy opponents. And yourself?" Ryosuke asked, locking his car, before standing up at his full height. Annoyingly, Takeshi noted, Ryosuke was taller than him.

"I'm on vacation myself." Takeshi said. Before either of them could continue, they were interrupted by their collective stomachs growling, wanting food. With a laugh, Ryosuke unlocked his car and opened the door.

"Come on Takeshi. I know a nice little place we could eat at. My treat." Ryosuke offered.

"You know a place that's open at… 10:33p.m.?" Takeshi asked skeptically.

"Yes I do, and while it's not the most… normal of places, it is quite nice, and the prices are pretty good too. Follow me." Ryosuke said, getting in his car and closing the door.

Takeshi, having nothing better to do, shrugged, and entered his GT-R, taking off at a rather slow pace compared to his downhill sprint before.

Rin Tsuchimi stood nearly still for five minutes after nearly being run over by Takeshi's GT-R. Replaying the scene over in his mind, the black car, it… slid to avoid him, but it didn't hit the guard rail. It continued around the turn like it was taking it normally. It was… incredible.

That night, after giving Kaede the ingredients for the next morning's breakfast, Rin lay awake in bed, replaying the slide over and over again. Finding sleeping to be impossible, Rin went on the internet to try to kill some time before school. After about half an hour, Rin had found the name of the car that had nearly run him over.

"_A Nissan Skyline GT-R R32…"_ Rin thought as he lazily shifted through the results on Google. "_It's so cool…"_

Rin jumped when he heard someone coming down the stairs. Quickly turning around, he noticed Kaede had come down the stairs, and was looking in, a smile on her face.

"Good morning Rin! And what you might be doing up at such an hour?" Kaede asked.

"At such an hour? Come on, it's not that late…" Rin replied, trailing off as he saw the time displayed on the lower right edge of his computer screen. "Oh man, it's 4:03 A.M… sorry Kaede, but I was having trouble falling asleep."

"That's okay Rin, just make sure not to fall asleep at school." Kaede chided him. "What are you looking at, by the way, Rin?" She asked, leaning in closer to the screen to get a better look.

"Mmh? Oh, that. It's a Nissan Skyline GT-R R32. It passed me on the way home from the grocery store."

"Okay then. I'm going to go make breakfast. I'll call you when it's ready Rin!" Kaede happily chirped, walking away to the kitchen.

Watching her leave, Rin inadvertently caught himself staring at Kaede's buttocks, watching as they swayed from side to side as she walked.

Shaking his head, Rin closed his eyes momentarily, and wondered why he was staring at her butt. "Must be sleep deprivation…" Rin said, and continued his research on the GT-R.

After about 15 minutes of driving, Ryosuke pulled up to the curb and parked his RX-7, Takeshi coming in behind soon afterwards.

"So this is the place, huh?" Takeshi said, eyeing up the small café. "Yes, it is. Don't let its small size fool you, they make some excellent food."

Walking in behind Ryosuke, Takeshi saw a mostly empty café, inhabited by the few people who were up this late. As an employee came out to seat them, Takeshi looked over, and blushed heavily when he realized the waitress was wearing some sort of maid outfit. What kind of place had he allowed Ryosuke to drag him to?

"Ah, Ryosuke! It's good to see you again. Who's your friend?" The blond woman asked a wide smile on her face. Seeing as the blushing Takeshi could not be bothered to answer for himself, Ryosuke bailed him out. "He's an acquaintance from about a year or two ago I bumped into. His name is Takeshi Nakazato." Hearing his name, Takeshi managed to awake from his stupor enough to awkwardly wave a greeting. Turning back to look at him, Ryosuke introduced her as Kareha. Seating the two drivers, she handed them menus, and asked if they wanted drinks of some sort. Both Takeshi and Ryosuke ordered water.

Once they were alone in their booth, Takeshi asked Ryosuke why Ryosuke had chosen a maid café, of all places, to eat.

"Like I said before, good food for cheap prices. It's a magical formula. Besides, it's a local diner; it seems like your favorite place to be." Ryosuke teased, getting a small amount of joy out how easy it was to rile Takeshi up. Once finished, Ryosuke followed his statement up with a question.

"I assume you wish to know why I contacted you in the first place." Hearing this, Takeshi leaned in, so as better to hear the aspiring doctor.

"I saw your race tonight, and I thought you wer-" Ryosuke was cut off by Takeshi's question of "How?" "Do remember when you raced Takumi Fujiwara on Mt. Akina? I followed you, just like I did before." Takeshi, however, was still skeptical.

"Liar. I didn't see your car at all tonight on the hill, much less around town." Ryosuke, who was taking another sip, replied with: "I was driving with my headlights off." Spitting his water clear across the table, Takeshi looked at the elder Takahashi brother wide-eyed and speechless. Seeing his surprise, Ryosuke used this as an opportunity to interject by saying: "And before you ask, Takeshi, you won the battle by dipping your tires into the rain gutter to take the lead on the last turn. Very Takumi-like, I congratulate you."

Scowling, Takeshi, who had finished what remained of his water by then, was going to make a smart comment, but was interrupted by Kareha, who inquired as to what they would order. Takeshi, who had completely ignored the menu, stumbled with his words for a second, before Ryosuke interjected by ordering two Napolitans. Kareha, thanked them, took the menu's, and left, leaving Takeshi to ask how Ryosuke knew Takeshi had a fondness for Napolitans.

"I asked Shingo. But that's beside the point. I came out to Kōyō-chō to ask Kyoichi to join Project D. However, I was very impressed by your race today. So impressed, in fact, that I wish for you to join Project D instead." Takeshi was stunned by Ryosuke's reply.

"Me? Join Project D? Why?" Takeshi grilled Ryosuke for answers. Ryosuke countered smoothly with: "I'm not going to mince words. I want you to join Project D because I believe that you can drive Keisuke to achieve greater heights." Seeing Takeshi's indignation, Ryosuke quickly added: "Of course, after seeing your progress tonight, I wouldn't be surprised if you up and beat him. You might be able to beat Takumi." Takeshi didn't know what to say: He didn't being used, but at the same time, joining Project D would provide an excellent vantage point for striking at Keisuke and Takumi.

"Think about it over dinner, why don't you" Ryosuke said, motioning to a spot behind Takeshi. Takeshi turned around to see Kareha walking up with the two Napolitans. After asking for the check, Ryosuke began to eat his meal in silence, and did Takeshi. Twenty minutes later, after finishing his dish, Takeshi had his reply.

"I don't like being used. But I'll join Project D. After all, I still have to repay my loss back to Takumi and Keisuke." Ryosuke inwardly smiled, and then briefed Takeshi on what he would be doing.

"For the next month or so, I'll be having Keisuke and Takumi race easy opponents, to lull them into a sense of security. Then, out of nowhere, you will appear, and challenge them to a race. No matte the outcome of said race, it will cause both of them to question their abilities, and to push their limits even further. However, in order for this plan to succeed, you'll need to lie low for a bit. I've bought an apartment for you here, in Kōyō-chō. Think of it as a sort of extended vacation. Here are the keys and the address" Ryosuke said, reaching into his pocket to hand Takeshi both the keys and a folded pieced of paper containing directions from his current spot.

"Now, if you don't have any questions, we'll have to call this a rap. I must be getting home, as I have to resume my duties as a doctor." Having nothing to say, Takeshi stood up to leave, when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the edge of a wallet sticking out from the seat. Picking it up, he opened it to find the owner to be one "Nerine."

"Oh my, she left her wallet here!" Takeshi looked around to find Kareha looking dismayed. Takeshi weighed his options, before asking:

"Where does she live? I'll drop it off at her house on the way home." After Kareha told him Nerine's address, something clicked in Takeshi's mind. Reaching into his pocket, Takeshi pulled out the piece of paper, and compared it to the destination that Kareha had just given him. And, as he had suspected, he did recognize her address: it was the three-quarters marking point to his new apartment. Before he could remark any further, though, the door to the café burst open, and Nerine stumbled in, out of breath.

"Kareha, have you seen my wallet!" Nerine asked, immediately focusing in on Kareha, ignoring Takeshi and Ryosuke.

"Actually, Nerine, this man was kind enough to pick it up for you!" Kareha said, pointing her finger at Takeshi. As Nerine turned around, her eyes questioning, Takeshi noticed something about Nerine. Her breasts were, well… big. And kind of bouncy too. _"Hot Damn!"_ Thought Takeshi as he awkwardly held out his hand, wallet in it. Thankfully, Nerine hadn't noticed Takeshi checking out her assets, and took her wallet from Takeshi's outstretched hand.

"Thank you so much!" Nerine said as she smiled warmly at Takeshi, who felt the blood rising to face quite fast.

"Don't worry about…" Takeshi said as he zipped up his leather jacket, pulling out the keys in his pocket to his GT-R. Kareha, however, noticed something off with the situation.

"Hey Nerine, did you run to get here?" When Nerine nodded her head yes, Kareha continued by saying:

"Well it's 11:33 P.M., and it's very dark outside. Couldn't you have found some way to get a ride here?"

Nerine blushed in embarrassment, before mumbling out "Well, uhm… as soon as I noticed it was missing, the last I remembered it being was here, so I ran here, and… here we are."

Takeshi, realizing the gentlemanly thing to do, said: "I can drive you home, if that's okay with you. Your house is right on the way to my apartment." Nerine looked at Takeshi with a warm smile before accepting his proposition. She did, however, need to go to the bathroom first, so as Nerine went to relieve herself, Ryosuke had himself a little more fun at Takeshi's expense.

"It seems that you've become quite the ladies man as well, Takeshi." Ryosuke said as he slipped on his own jacket. Takeshi groaned into his palm, as Ryosuke had a hearty laugh at his dismay. "Just shut up, Ryosuke…" Takeshi replied.

Finished working on his jacket, Ryosuke motioned to Kareha, who had ditched the maid outfit for normal clothes.

"I'm taking her home. She lives on the way. Farewell, Takeshi. If you ever need to contact me, my cell phone number is on the paper." As Ryosuke exited, He draped an arm over Kareha's shoulder, and put quite a sizable tip into her pocket. She squealed in delight, and pecked him on the check. _"Smooth Bastard…"_ Takeshi inwardly grumbled.

"I'm ready to go!" Turning around, Takeshi noticed that Nerine had finished with her little bathroom trip. Exiting the café, Takeshi noticed Ryosuke's RX-7 off in the distance, its lights quickly fading from his field of vision. Unlocking the GT-R, Takeshi motioned to the passenger seat for Nerine, who looked at the seat oddly.

"It's a bucket seat. It comes with a safety harness for extra protection. You put it on like this…" Takeshi showed Nerine how to put it on, and then got in on his side of the car, turned it on, and drove off.

"Actually…" Nerine started, while Takeshi was driving down the road. "I didn't catch your name. Would you mind telling me what it is?" Takeshi didn't take his eyes of the road as he replied. "My name is Nakazato. Takeshi Nakazato. And might I ask you to read off the directions to me while I drive?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of paper Ryosuke had given him.

About fifteen minutes later, Takeshi pulled his GT-R to a stop outside of Nerine's house. "Well, we're here." Takeshi said.

"Thanks for the ride, Takeshi Nakazato!" Nerine said as she got out, and exited for her house. As she was walking back to her house, Takeshi couldn't help but noticing the way her hips swayed as she walked. Smacking his head against the steering column, Takeshi grunted to himself. "Come on, Takeshi. Staring at high school girls… I've reached a new low…" Sighing as he shifted into first, Takeshi began a gentle drive to his new apartment. After he arrived, he parked, walked up the steps and looked at his new home for the next month. It had all the basics, including a television. But it was nearly midnight, and Takeshi was dead tired. Getting into his Pajamas, Takeshi crawled into bed, and fell almost immediately asleep.

The morning came, and Rin Tsuchimi had himself a delicious breakfast at the hands of Kaede, who seemed only too happy to provide. However, seeing as he hadn't slept at all, he slept through nearly all his classes, and was saved from the wrath of one Nadeshiko Benibara by the bell, which he was incredibly thankful for.

In-between classes, Itsuki had come over to ask if Rin was o.k. Rin, who was too tired to think up some sort of lie, decided to tell Itsuki the whole story. Itsuki said nothing for a while, but suddenly asked Rin a question.

"Hey, you have your driver's license, right?" Blinking, Rin nodded after a second. It was more a formality than anything, seeing as he didn't even have a car. He left at home most times anyway. "Yeah, I do. Why?" Itsuki tilted his head so the light reflecting off his glasses nearly blinded Rin. "What if I told you I could hook you up with good car for next to no money at all?"

**And so the plot thickens. Will Rin's attempts at driving amount to anything? Will Takeshi take the moral high road when it comes to Nerine? Find out in the next action packed episode of Dragon Ball Z!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter two netted me my first reviews, so I felt justified in taking a break after writing the second chapter. And now that I don't have any obligations for about a month, I should be able to get twoish updates before the end of January. **

** Anyways, this is going to be more of plot-explainment chapter than anything else, and Ryosuke and Kareha's relationship is elaborated on. Happy New Years, Everyone! **

** Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story.**

_Itsuki tilted his head so the light reflecting off his glasses nearly blinded Rin. "What if I told you I could hook you up with good car for next to no money at all?" _

Rin had the decency to look surprised for a second, before arching his neck back, pretending to ponder the question.

"I'd tell you that you were lying to my face." Rin said, leaning back against the wall, sliding down, and closing his eyes. Moving to sit down next to him, Itsuki pulled out a can of iced tea, and handed it to Rin, who accepted it gratefully.

"I'm hurt, Rin. You would think I would lie to you?" Itsuki said, a bashful smile on his face.

"Well I'm not Rin. But I can't supply you with something for nothing. I'll need a pretty substantial investment, of say... 50,000 yen?"

After hearing the sum involved, Rin spit his iced tea out in surprise, bathing Itsuki in it.

"50,000 yen! I don't have that kind of cash to throw around!"

Itsuki, looking amused at Rin's alarmed face, tilted his face so that the light reflected off his frames into Rin's eyes, temporarily blinding him.

"That's about as low as I can go, Rin my friend. And trust me, that's after taking out just about every discount I can over our friendship and all. This offer won't expire for quite some time, so feel free to put some thought into it."

Looking over at his watch, Itsuki got up, and left, using his next class as an excuse for his leaving.

"Shit… I still have two classes left…" Rin sighed, complaining to himself. Getting up, he trudged onto his next class, yawning.

SCENE BREAK!

After the bell that signaled the end of the day, Rin leaned back in his chair, and breathed out a sigh of relief. He could finally go home and sleep…

Walking out of his classroom, he spotted Nerine up ahead chatting with Asa, who waved out to Rin, beckoning him closer.

"Hey Rin! What's going on?" Asa asked, giving her trademark wink-wave combo.

"Nothing much Asa, how are you and Nerine doing?" Nerine yawned a small amount, before giving Rin her customary charming smile.

"I've been better, but I'm doing alright. I'm a little tired."

Hearing this, Asa's eyes lit up, and a mischievous smile materialized on her face.

"I heard that you were out all night Nerine, and that a… mysterious, black sports car drove you home. Having a little late-night fun, eh Nerine?"

Nerine, understanding the implication of Asa's inquiry, blushed immediately, and stammered back that she was having no such fun.

Rin, however, was curious about Nerine's late night trip, and asked further about her late-night escapades.

"Well, I had went out with Sia and Asa to the café that Kareha worked at after school yesterday, and I forgot my wallet when I left. I didn't realize until seven hours later, and I, well… ran there at about 10:00 p.m. Luckily for me, a customer had found the wallet for me, and even drove me home: my house was on the way to his house."

Asa lost none of the playful teasing, continuing on with: "So a late-night mystery man drove you home… did you give him some… thanks?"

Nerine blushed again and yelled out, defensively: "His name is Takeshi Nakazato, and he is a nice man!"

Asa, deciding to let Nerine off for now, started the long trek home after bidding Nerine and Rin goodbye. There was somewhat of an awkward silence between Rin and Nerine, before Rin decided to ask a few questions about this "Takeshi Nakazato"

"So, this "Takeshi Nakazato" guy… Is he really a nice guy?" After seeing Nerine nod her head, Rin smiled, before adding:

"Well then, I wish the best for you and your new friend. I have to walk home now with Kaede, and I shouldn't keep her waiting. Farewell, Nerine."

Meeting Kaede at the gate of the school, Rin walked home mostly in silence, explaining to Kaede that he was still tired. At the moment, though, sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. He was contemplating the 50,000 yen that Itsuki had asked for. If he emptied almost all his savings, he should have about enough to secure the vehicle. But that would be horribly irresponsible, and he wouldn't have any money to pay for gas…

Sighing, Rin arrived home, and went straight to bed, excusing himself. Settling in for some sleep, he figured he might as well sleep on it. Closing his eyes, Rin soon drifted off to sleep, thoughts of the GT-R R32 driving through his mind.

SCENE BREAK!

Takeshi grimaced as his alarm started to ring. Hitting the snooze button, he rolled around in bed, falling asleep again quite easily. In about 15 minutes however, the alarm rang again, and Takeshi ripped the power cord out of the wall. Finding himself unable to get back to sleep, Takeshi groped around on his bedside table for his watch. Locating it, he grumbled when he realized it was about 11:30 A.M.

Taking his time in shower, Takeshi explored his quaint little place after he got dressed. It was a small, one story house on the outskirts of town, and it had three main rooms, those being a kitchen, a lounging room, and the bedroom. A small bathroom was off on the side of the bedroom. If he didn't already have friends and relations back in Myogi, he wouldn't mind moving here. And speaking of friends…

"Ah shit…" Takeshi grumbled to himself as he remembered his obligations to his former rival-turned-friend, Shingo Shoji.

"I was supposed to meet him for lunch today... damnit…" Takeshi pulled out his cell phone, and realized that he still had to add Ryosuke's number to his phone. After adding Ryosuke's number, Takeshi called Shingo's cell phone. Not getting a reply, he then hung up, and called his house. After about three rings, the phone was picked up, and a very tired and ragged voice answered: "Mmh… Hello?"

"I think it's safe to assume you just woke up, Shingo?" The line went silent for a few seconds, as Shingo processed the information.

"Hey Takeshi, is that you? I haven't seen you in a week, man! How's it going?"

Takeshi replied, and the two caught up for a bit, before Takeshi reminded Shingo of their lunch date.

"Ah sorry Takeshi. I've been working overtime the past week in order to pay for a new set of pipes for my sink. Damn things started leaking, right after I bought that new T.V. Anyways, I just woke up, so I may or may not be late for our get-together today."

"That's okay Shingo, I'm actually taking an extra month's vacation in Kōyō-chō, and so you can feel free to blow me off."

"Well, I have a few sick days to spend, and nothing better to do, so how about I come up and visit you?"

Takeshi considered this point, before caving in, giving Shingo the address to his temporary house, along with directions from Myogi to Kōyō-chō. After wishing Takeshi a good day, Shingo hung up, presumably to freshen up a bit. Looking at his watch, Takeshi realized it was a little past noon, and decided to talk a walk around down, buy some groceries, and get acquainted with the little town.

SCENE BREAK!

It was a little after four when Takehsi closed the door of his refrigerator, his acclimation to the new town complete. Having nothing else to do, Takehsi decided to get some late lunch at the maid café which he and Ryosuke had visited the day before.

Walking in, Takeshi was greeted by the growing familiarity of Kareha's face.

"Ah, Mr. Nakazato, it's good to see you again! Please, take a seat over here." Kareha motioned to an empty booth by the window. Takeshi sat down, telling her that he would have the same meal as the he did last night.

"Actually, though, the reason I came here was to ask you a couple of questions. May I…?" Takeshi asked, hoping to hear a yes. Kareha nodded, and "accidently" spilt a couple of glasses of water on Takeshi's table. After getting replacement glasses, Kareha commenced with the cleaning of Takeshi's table.

"So, what do you wish to ask of me, Mr. Nakazato?" Kareha asked, not once taking her eyes off the job.

"Ah, well, I had hoped to ask you about your relationship with Ryosuke Takahashi. The only way I know of Ryosuke to act is as a cold bastard, ignoring various female advancements."

Kareha considered his request for a small while, before finding divulging such information to be not important.

"Ah well, I first meet Ryosuke about a month and a half ago, at around 2 a.m. I was working the graveyard shift, and the café was empty. So, imagine my surprise when a tired, well dressed man walked in, and brooded over a cup of coffee for an hour! We made some small talk, and then left. I thought it was the last I would ever see of him. Well, he came in the next day, at around the same time. This continued onwards for about a month, and I eventually learned that Ryosuke was on vacation, and was having a small bought of insomnia."

Kareha took a breath before continuing "Eventually, I made some small advances, only meaning to tease him a little. Ryosuke, to his credit, wasn't flustered in the slightest, and actually made some advances of his own. And… things sort of happened from there. We go on a date every now and then, but we both know that nothing is going to come from this. Does that clear it up, Mr. Nakazato?"

Nodding his head, Takeshi tilted his head to gaze out the window, focusing on nothing in particular.

"And now, Mr. Nakazato, may I ask you a question? It seems only fair." Agreeing with her logic, Takeshi looked up, silently encouraging her to ask away.

"Why are you here in this quant, little town? It isn't a place most people would seek out on their own. It's very out of the way, and inconspicuous."

"I'm on vacation. My parents got a room in a hotel nearby for about a week as a birthday present."

Taking Takeshi's words for face value, Kareha was called back into the kitchen, and came out with Takeshi's Napolitan. Takeshi devoured his meal, payed, and left, wanting to get home quickly.

Arriving at his small apartment, Takeshi looked at the clock, and realized it was only about 6:00 p.m. Pulling out a mystery novel he had purchased earlier in the day, Takeshi curled up on the couch, and started reading.

Two hours later, Takeshi had covered about 130 pages, and was feeling restless. Getting up, he grabbed the keys to his GT-R, and got in, intending to check out the local drivers, to see if any of them could offer him a challenge. However, as he was leisurely driving to the mountain circuit, he noticed someone with flowing blue hair and a dark sweater walking along the side of the road. Scouring his memory, Takeshi realized that it was Nerine. Slowing down to a walking pace next to her, Takeshi rolled down the passenger side window, and asked her why she was out so late.

"Well, my dad, he, uh… he wanted a Big Mac for dinner, but he's sick in bed, so he asked me to go."

Takeshi raised his eyebrow, and asked her if McDonalds was really the best choice to give to a sick person. Nerine looked surprised, and asked if McDonalds was bad for one to eat. Takeshi cringed, and told Nerine all about the horrors of McDonalds.

"I'm not going to lie to you Nerine, it's all incredibly greasy, over-salted, and very fattening. The yogurt parfaits, however, are quite alright."

Nerine shuddered, and was about to reply when a strong breeze rolled in, blowing a couple of leafs into her face. Watching her hair blowing in the wind, Takeshi made a spur of the moment decision, and asked Nerine a question.

"Do you want a ride to McDonalds?" He blurted out, startling even himself with the question. Nerine accepted immediately, and sat down inside the GT-R. As Takeshi pulled away, Nerine was blind to the inner turmoil inside of Takeshi.

"_Takeshi, you idiotic fool! She's still in high school! Have your morals disappeared completely! I'm as bad as Shingo was…" _Trying to justify his actions as being a good Samaritan was pointless, as every time he did it, he thought of his impure, motives. But then again, her breasts were quite nice, and that sweater only accentuated them…

_"You Goddamn creep!"_ Filled with thoughts of self loathing, Takeshi nailed the accelerator to the floor with his foot, trying to distract himself from his thoughts. He lifted, however, when he heard a gasp from his passenger, who wasn't expecting such violent acceleration.

"Sorry…" Takeshi guiltily mumbled out, blushing lightly. Nerine nodded her acceptance, and the ride continued in silence for about five more minutes, when Nerine asked Takeshi about his car.

"What does the Night Kids stand for?" She asked, wondering about the sticker on the outside of the GT-R.

Takehsi was silent for a moment before responding with: "It's a racing team that I lead. It includes a couple of members, most notably my good friend, Shingo Shoji."

Nerine processed the information, before asking a few details about the Night Kids. Before Takeshi could reply, The giant lights of the golden arches appeared on the horizon, bathing the red roofed building in their majestic glow. McDonalds was near.

Once the break in the traffic presented itself, Takeshi pulled into the parking lot of the fast food titan, moving into the drive through lane. Getting a Big Mac for Nerine's father, Takeshi also got a small lemonade for himself. Pulling out, Takehsi glanced at his watch, observing the time to be 8:30 p.m. Weighing the options in his head, Takeshi decided to drive Nerine home, and to then retire for the night. He could use an early night now and again.

As he was driving home, Takeshi answered a few questions about himself, such as where he lived, and how good the Night Kids were. As he was explaining however, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution pulled up in back of him, flashing his head lights.

"He's flashing his head lights, what does that mean?" Nerine asked, looking back at the car.

"It means he wants to race." Takeshi explained, observing the Lancer Evolution in his rear-view mirror. Eventually though, Takeshi decided not to race, and instead continued on at the speed limit. Things changed, however, when the Lancer Evolution advanced forward a bit, and bumped Takeshi's rear bumper.

"What the hell is that asshole thinking!" Takeshi roared as he lurched forward. Takeshi was about floor it when he looked over and realized Nerine was glaring quite intensely at the car behind them. And, lo and behold, about two seconds later, a lightning bolt came down from the heavens, and hit the Lancer Evolution's front right tire, blowing it up.

"Holy Shit!" Takeshi yelled as the Lancer Evolution started to spin, and eventually flipped over. Looking over at Nerine, he noticed the angry glare was still there, and inquired about it.

"Did… Did you do that?" He asked, in awe of the spectacle he had just witnessed. When Nerine nodded, Takeshi whistled lowly, and turned the wheel, bringing the GT-R onto a series of less traveled roads.

"That's amazing… I wish I could do something like that." Takeshi admired. Nerine's face turned red as she dolled out her thanks. Silence pervaded the GT-R as 8 minutes later, Takeshi pulled up in front of Nerine's house.

"Thank you once again, Takeshi Nakazato." Nerine said as she exited the GT-R. Nodding his head, Takeshi fiddled with the radio for a bit as to distract himself from Nerine leaving. Once she was inside of her house, Takeshi drove home, got dressed in his pajamas, and fell into a deep slumber.

**The ending sucks, but I really couldn't think up a good way to end this without sounding to corny. Plus, I pulled an all nighters, so whatever, I'm tired.**


End file.
